Peaceful mornings don’t always just happen – there sometimes needs to be intention and effort to find the quiet and stillness, especially amid the tumult that might constitute the average morning. To better ensure that space, getting up early is the most effective way to find the physical and atmospheric surroundings best suited to conjuring a moment of peace.
Recently I awoke before 6, a good half hour before my alarm was set to go off, and rather than roll over and fall back asleep, I managed to rouse myself into a standing position and begin the day earlier than usual. Older age does that – we sleep less, we wander and ponder more. I heated a kettle of water on the stove and whisked up a cup of matcha. As we remain in the early stages of January, this selection of music by Tchaikovsky, a section entitled ‘January: By the Fireside’ from his Seasons opus, felt fitting, and lent the morning a crisp but calm air.
Our recent cold spell, appropriate for this time of the year, and worrisomely later in coming, was not as unwelcome as I braced myself for it to be. This is winter. It’s where we should be. The gardens would actually appreciate more than the spot of snow we’ve had thus far – I can almost hear them groaning with the heaving and roller-coaster of warmer days we’ve had in the past month. Not good for the roots, not good for the spring to come. The best and only way to end winter is to go through it.
And so I pause to honor the season, warming my hands with this cup of matcha, warming my head with the beauty of Tchaikovsky’s music, warming my soul with the idea that on some mornings it is enough simply to rise and breathe.
